Radio personality canned after wearing Gator cap to Razorback press conference

There are four things that most of the fine folks living in the Southeast of these United States take very seriously: their God, their country, their family and their football.  And not necessarily in that order.  Especially as summer begins to bleed into a certain fall sport.

The latest example?

Renee Gork, a radio personality at KAKS in Arkansas (catchy, cool radio station code name: “Hog Sports Radio”) attended a Bobby Petrino press conference two days ago.  While that’s not exactly out of the ordinary, her choice of head ware for an Arkansas event was.

Ms. Gork, a University of Florida graduate, was wearing, you guessed it, a hat emblazoned with the Gators logo.

Petrino noticed the Gator cap and, being the gentleman that he is, proclaimed “that will be the last question I answer with that hat on.”  Fair enough, but…

Once word leaked out that an Arkansas “media member” deigned to wear enemy gear out in the light of day, all fan hell broke loose.  From message boards to Facebook posts to message boards and back to Facebook posts, Razorback Nation’s Internet community immediately took up their WWW arms and called for the traitor’s ouster.  Even as Gork attempted to explain her way out of committing the littlest known of the seven SEC mortal sins by saying that it was raining and she unknowingly grabbed the Gator hat on her way out the door, the writing was on the wall.

And, ironically enough, Gork wrote her own Ozarks career obituary on a social media site.

“Was hoping to publicly apologize to coach Petrino and UA fans on the show today … but I won’t get that chance,” Gork wrote on KAKS’ Twitter account. “I’ve been fired.”

Yep, she was canned.   For what appears on the surface to be an unintentional faux pas.

Granted, it’s not exactly optimal for a member of the media to be — and I’m doing my damndest to type this with a straight face, even as the image of this event causes me to laugh my ass off — rocking a conference rival’s gear at a press conference, but at what point does football passion so asininely override basic human decency and common sense?

Give her the rookie coifed Tebow and make her say ten “Hail Malletts” as she’s being duct-taped to a goalpost or something, but to lose your job over something like this?

C’mon.  It might be time for the supposed professionals at this radio station to step away from the SEC football message boards just a wee bit and realize that they are coming off as, at best, homer bullies and, at worst, reactionary, enabling punks.

—–EXTENDED BODY:—–EXCERPT:—–KEYWORDS:—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: MarkusEMAIL: mistermr2000@yahoo.comIP: 183.17.89.17URL: DATE: 08/16/2010 11:19:40 PMWooooo Pig Sooieee!!!!!!!!—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: JaggedMarkEMAIL: jaggedlittlemark@aol.comIP: 66.75.66.50URL: DATE: 08/16/2010 11:21:54 PMArkansas is an idiot’s school, run by idiot administrators and coaches. operating in a state with idiot fans.There, now fire me you Arkansas morons.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: skinny pigeonEMAIL: glenhatchell@yahoo.comIP: 68.200.247.190URL: DATE: 08/16/2010 11:23:15 PMShe works in Little Rock. Maybe she intentionally wore the hat to get a better job where the literacy rate is higher. —–COMMENT:AUTHOR: TexasMadDogEMAIL: yardbarker@hotmail.comIP: 75.46.212.17URL: DATE: 08/16/2010 11:57:59 PMTwo barefoot hillbillys did allright the late Sam Walton the founder Walmart and Jerry Jones owner of the Dallas CowboysGO HOGS! GO DALLAS COWBOYS!!—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: overratedgatorsEMAIL: dave.rosamond@gmail.comIP: 96.252.142.63URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:20:50 AMAnother typical Gator fan with no sense of decorum. What a shock.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: nowayjoseEMAIL: ugospurs@gmail.comIP: 76.183.237.118URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:21:41 AMShe doesn’t realize how lucky she is to get fired from the pig state. How moronic is that to get fired for wearing another teams hat once and have a bunch of hillbillys in an uproar. There is more in life than college football. Oh wait! there’s nothing else in hillbilly country.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: USAirForceColeEMAIL: jcole22@gmail.comIP: 74.67.200.117URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:26:34 AMWait…since when does Arkansas have the internet? —–COMMENT:AUTHOR: gator_profEMAIL: msheplak@cox.netIP: 128.227.4.8URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 07:26:08 AMKAKS is hoping to find a Hog grad sufficiently articulate to be a radio host…this may be mission impossible.On a side note, the local station here has a Cane fan (Adam Reardon) which I never understood. Reardon is a tough guy wanna be who is a Cane homer…adds zero to the discussion. That being said, they don’t fire him.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: Mike-FEMAIL: mikebtfisher@gmail.comIP: 137.207.108.19URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 08:00:35 AMUSAirForceCole: I’m not sure they do, I’m having a heck of a time finding the website for this radio station, haha.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: tryagainEMAIL: rmaus@atu.eduIP: 74.194.128.69URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 08:20:27 AMbravo to the hillbilly comments- geez, we’ve never heard that before, i’m utterly offended- let me go cry.i have serious doubt she wore it unintentionally- if she’s that stupid, there’s no doubt she deserves to be fired. wps.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: blitz4848EMAIL: blitz4848@yahoo.comIP: 98.85.152.136URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 10:26:16 AMWhat respectable woman would wear a “pig hat”?—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: nowayjoseEMAIL: ugospurs@gmail.comIP: 76.183.237.118URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 10:35:26 AMReally, wearing another team’s hat is so offensive the only recourse is fire them,no reprimand of any kind, just fire her. How logical is that? You hillbillys need to find another outlet to express your energy. Maybe you people just have a chip on your shoulder from the Longhorns owning you all those years.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: cablmanEMAIL: jmcablman@yahoo.comIP: 68.46.233.28URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 11:36:33 AMI guess if i wore my Alabama hat i would be ran out of the state,bring it on ,stupid hillbillies.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: DonnaEMAIL: dhardy8207@hotmail.comIP: 68.16.216.146URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 11:45:28 AMAlthough a bit drastic of a response, I think it should be perfectly understandable to continue to support your former school even if you were a swamp dweller!!—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: blitz4848EMAIL: blitz4848@yahoo.comIP: 98.85.152.136URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:00:17 PM@ DonnaThis lady was as defenseless as BAMA’s defense is this year……601 yds, 47 of 52 completionsThat’s WAC conference defense at it’s worst…….—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: troywallEMAIL: troy.wall@idahoinflatables.comIP: 96.18.209.70URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:03:09 PMSeriously Bob…is this the same guy who bounced from Louisville to the Falcons, then left before finishing the season and told his players with a note? Mr Vagabond has coached at like 20 different places, and then gets indignant when someone from the press doesn’t show his current fancy some head gear respect? What has sports become when an idiotic coach with no loyalty to anyone whatsoever, can get a reporter fired for having loyalty to the school she got her degree from. Rise above moron and win some freaking games! You are next…;)—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: wrath4771EMAIL: wrath4771@hotmail.comIP: 24.177.162.182URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:04:56 PMIn Arkansas they saw that Gators hat and thought it was the funniest looking Hogs hat ever.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: troywallEMAIL: troy.wall@idahoinflatables.comIP: 96.18.209.70URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:05:58 PMSeriously Bob…is this the same guy who bounced from Louisville to the Falcons, then left before finishing the season and told his players with a note? Mr Vagabond has coached at like 20 different places, and then gets indignant when someone from the press doesn’t show his current fancy some head gear respect? What has sports become when an idiotic coach with no loyalty to anyone whatsoever, can get a reporter fired for havi
ng loyalty to the school she
got her degree from. Rise above moron and win some freaking games! You are next…;)—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: 4lilnolesEMAIL: 4lilnoles@comcast.netIP: 199.67.131.215URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:17:12 PMThe think the Gators would be stupid, not to hire this girl right away. I think she did this on purpose to get a better gig with the Gators—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: fatedieselEMAIL: fatediesel@hotmail.comIP: 74.84.124.106URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:18:25 PMThe station manager was on the Dan Patrick show this morning and made it clear that the hat incident was only a small reason for her firing. On her personal Twitter account she had talked about how she wished she was covering Florida and how she didn’t like her job. On her work Twitter account she broke Arkansas rules by doing live updates at Arkansas practices. He also said there were several other things that he wouldn’t publicly talk about.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: tryagainEMAIL: rmaus@atu.eduIP: 66.112.64.128URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:30:50 PMAnd by the way- the hat wearing was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Evidently chickiepooh had been on facebook/twitter acting the fool. She did a good job of making her unknown name now known, though- I’m sure her sex tape is soon to follow.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: nowayjoseEMAIL: ugospurs@gmail.comIP: 76.183.237.118URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:31:58 PMThe hat shouldn’t have been any part of the reason to fire her. It seems the radio station is covering their butt now but already it is plain to see their a bunch of idiots. And the coach acted like an idiot too. Guess thats why he’s coaching in Arkanasas. —–COMMENT:AUTHOR: JessiEMAIL: Coach.Elson@yahoo.comIP: 205.245.84.28URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:39:56 PMI was born in Michigan, but circumstances have led to my living in Ohio. I am a die-hard Wolverine and wear my blue and maize garments proudly. I’ve taken some major razzing, but I’ve never lost my job or not been considered for a job because of it. This seems a little extreme. On the other notion that she’s been in trouble before and this just put her over the edge as far as discipline goes; if she’s been in trouble and this was the breaking point, where’s the progressive discipline or the record of reprimands for these other indiscretions? That line sounds like a cover-up just to justify the firing and try to save face.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: tryagainEMAIL: rmaus@atu.eduIP: 66.112.64.128URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:49:40 PM’ I’ve taken some major razzing, but I’ve never lost my job or not been considered for a job because of it. This seems a little extreme.’Do you work in the sports field for a company that covers one particular team? If not, your scenario doesn’t fit this situation at all. ‘That line sounds like a cover-up just to justify the firing and try to save face.’Per the radio station- “This radio station is Hog Sports Radio. We are very biased. We support the Razorbacks 100 percent.” That doesn’t really sound like someone trying to cya to me. —–COMMENT:AUTHOR: DonnaEMAIL: dhardy8207@hotmail.comIP: 68.16.216.146URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 12:55:38 PM”This lady was as defenseless as BAMA’s defense is this year……601 yds, 47 of 52 completions”@ Blitz4848:There you go again…….Just counting on BAMA to have a bad season. Guess I can’t blame ya since you all down in the swamp have been scratching your heads amongst other things trying to figure out how the gators took an (L) to BAMA in the SEC championship. We all know how bad ya’ll wanted the top spot for the most championship titles in last 20 years kind of record and with Meyer/Tebow combo you guys were just almost assured of that weren’t ya? For future reference this is were the word “almost” gets tricky! Tell me dear, are there still those in the swamp demanding an acceptable answer as to how that happened? Its okay though we know the only way to wash that lump down that the gators have been trying to swallow for almost a year now is another good dose of TIDE!I though as a true BAMA fan will worry when we have more (L) checked than we do (W), until then I just look at this and other stories as glimmers of hope for the gator fans among others within the SEC and the various conferences we play this year. @ JT: Keep the “woe is me” Tide stories coming, it absolutely gives Blitz a woodie!—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: jfbarlowEMAIL: jfbgolfer61@hotmail.comIP: 184.1.7.190URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 01:06:31 PMGo Gators,way to show your team colors,I can see that this radio station is trying to cover their butts,but this is bull sh-t. my dad used to live their in conway and moved back to florida because of the idiots there,I sent him a package once when he was there, it was marked fragile on the box, and I wrote go Gators on it,and when he recieved the box ,it was all busted up like someone kicked it around.that just shows how back woods these poeple are. hope she gets out of there and lands a better job with some radio station not in ark.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: tryagainEMAIL: rmaus@atu.eduIP: 74.194.128.69URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 01:36:46 PM’their in conway and moved back to florida because of the idiots there’ ‘recieved’ ‘poeple’keep up the good work, biggen. did you grad from uf?—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: Snuff SmithEMAIL: abrasak@hotmail.comIP: 75.7.184.207URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 02:00:09 PMThe woman hated her job. She used Twitter and Facebook to let it be known. This was just the last straw. Maybe now she can live in harmony with all the other Gator fans in Florida.Frankly, if I were a business owner, I sure as hell wouldn’t allow someone who hated their job work for me. Think people. —–COMMENT:AUTHOR: gator_profEMAIL: msheplak@cox.netIP: 128.227.48.136URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 02:30:13 PMThe bigger question here is…Does Arkansas actually have football team worth discussing? Hmmm, let’s see. They ran off Nutt because of some spoiled brat named Mustain who didn’t realize that McFadden and the wildcat was the best shot they had at winning.They then hired Bobby P., the perpetual overrated wandering that hasn’t won anything. Yes, he had a nice run at L’ville in conference USA and in a gutted Big East, but he is a marginal coach in the SEC with a nice 5-11 conference record. —–COMMENT:AUTHOR: tryagainEMAIL: rmaus@atu.eduIP: 66.112.64.128URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 02:46:00 PMgator_prof says: The bigger question here is…Does Arkansas actually have football team worth discussing?Absolutely, we do. I’m not making any outrageous claims but I do think we’ll show people our worth once the season finally starts.I’m not going to argue the Mustain thing- I’m glad that little weasel is long gone, but I’m not heartbroken over Nutt bidding adieu either. I also know Bobby’s history but he’s been great since coming to UA, I hope that continues. —–COMMENT:AUTHOR: gator_profEMAIL: msheplak@cox.netIP: 128.227.15.219URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 03:39:57 PMtryagain,Time will tell. I liked Nutt and thought that he got a really raw deal by the “mafia”.We will see if Bobby can doing anything in the SEC West. He is not used to having to play a tough schedule as a coach, nor is he used to the talent level in the SEC. Arkansas needs to be a strong team to help anchor the west. Bama is elite. LSU is in decline and is now better known for purple drank than contenting for the west crown. If Bobby steps up, you guys can be competitive for the West title. The Nutt / Ark feud has certainly spiced up the Ole Miss / Ark rivalry. —–COMMENT:AUTHOR: JimmyYEMAIL: JAMES.YANUSHKA@NAVY.MILIP: 138.163.106.72URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 03:41:42 PMOh come on, get off it. “Lose her job,” what? Do you really think that’s a ‘real’ job? Right. Boo freaking hoo, tough luck. Go get a job at a Florida station I’m sure the publicity will be there after this. Job? What a laugh.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: blitz4848EMAIL: blitz4848@yahoo.comIP: 98.85.152.136URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 03:44:49 PMLooking at the Hogs schedule 8-4 would be really good but more likely 7-5 and an early bowl game.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: steelers ruleEMAIL: robfunicelli@aol.comIP: 72.222.143.180URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 04:03:35 PMHeard her on many radio stations today and to me she knew what she was do
ing where the hat and twittering when she was not suppose to do! She was only on job 1 month so radio staion losses nothing. Sh e can stay st home with her 2 kids liek she been doing for last 5 years and puffing away at those cigarettes like she is doing on her facebook account!—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: tryagainEMAIL: rmaus@atu.eduIP: 66.112.64.128URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 04:20:07 PM@blitzy- i think and hope we’ll prove you wrong.@gatorprof- in my 30 plus a few years, i’ve never been embarassed to be a hog fan except during that whole nutt/mustain drama- both sides and several fans were pissing me off. the fans were definitely split between those wanting to nail nutt to the cross and those wanting to canonize him- i felt like an outsider b/c i fell into neither. by the end of it, i was glad that most key parties involved were gone. —–COMMENT:AUTHOR: Tim’s NeighborEMAIL: smsetnor@gmail.comIP: 74.254.43.133URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 06:43:09 PMAs someone who works as a sports professional, you just don’t wear any clothing to work that would represent another team. We’re not even allowed to wear something for a different sport. It may seem silly, but when it’s your profession, you have to stay behind your brand. Just like you wouldn’t catch the big wigs at Coke drinking a Pepsi. It’s widely accepted and completely rational to me.Plus, you don’t knock your job on social media. Sounds like this woman was completely clueless.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: gator_profEMAIL: msheplak@cox.netIP: 98.180.46.221URL: DATE: 08/17/2010 08:15:06 PM@tryagain,Re: “i was glad that most key parties involved were gone. “Agreed, sometimes it is best to hit restart. That being said, I wouldn’t be happy with Nutt moving to Ole Miss.Then again, Spurrier did move to USC…but there is too large of a separation between the schools for him to make up for the talent differential.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: Dr.SwineSmellerEMAIL: michaellove@windstream.netIP: 12.230.217.3URL: DATE: 08/18/2010 02:06:26 AMnowayjose says: August 17, 2010 10:35 AM ET Really, wearing another team’s hat is so offensive the only recourse is fire them,no reprimand of any kind, just fire her. How logical is that? You hillbillys need to find another outlet to express your energy. Maybe you people just have a chip on your shoulder from the Longhorns owning you all those years.*******************************************Before you go around calling Arkansas people “hillbillies”, you should learn how to pluralize the word.. That would be spelled “HILLBILLIES”, not hillbillys. That way you would not appear illiterate. What a doofus…LOL!!Dr. SwineSmeller—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: D KirkpatrickEMAIL: dank105@olypen.comIP: 65.243.187.129URL: DATE: 08/18/2010 01:32:01 PMA news conference that spins into this type of behavior by all parties is like a sandbox full of naughty children without a clue to the real world. Like a definition of a “seminar” instead of pooling their ignorance on the subject, they pooled their intelligence to a new low in public. You can sure tell it is the dogs of August.—–COMMENT:AUTHOR: Dr.SwineSmellerEMAIL: michaellove@windstream.netIP: 98.20.229.185URL: DATE: 08/18/2010 09:36:37 PMThis copied fron SECFanatics.com, a post authored by Extra Point. Very informative…***********************************If some are going to paint a picture, let’s finish it with ALL the facts….1. The rule is no credentialed media granted access to either public or private practices are allowed to electronically transmit live updates. Renee Gork was a habitual breaker of said rule with a permanent record for all to see on the Twitter account she set up for work (she had a separate personal Twitter). The UofA had addressed this with her without success.2. On Twitter and several radio interviews, she claimed she wore a hat because of the “rain storm”. It had not rained a drop in Fayetteville for 7 days. She lives in Bentonville, but as you can see from this website, precipitation for Saturday, August 14th was 0.00″. To my knowledge, it’s never rained INSIDE the football complex in Fayetteville.3. The day she wore the Gator hat, several people asked her to remove it, including players she was covering. She defiantly refused. She has claimed in every interview today she never meant to show disrespect and didn’t realize it was a problem.4. Per her Facebook wall (now set to private), she started her job on July 20, 2010. Only 19 days later on August 7th, she was complaining on Facebook about having to cover the Razorbacks on Media Day, but said she would be excited to cover the Gators.5. On Saturday after the press conference incident, she posted on her WORK TWITTER ACCOUNT that if anyone didn’t like her hat, they should buy one and send it to her. She was clearly unapologetic.6. Only AFTER she was fired on Monday did she post on social media an “apology”. And only AFTER she was fired was she willing to admit she showed poor judgment which is in direct contrast to her defiant weekend social media posts.6. The radio station manager was on the Dan Patrick Show today. He said wearing the hat was not a primary reason she was fired. He said there were SEVERAL major issues including her public social media complaints about her job and knowingly breaking media rules while on campus. She had quite the track record in less than 30 days of employment.7. The radio station manager said her firing had NOTHING to do with emails, calls, the inbreds posting at Hogville, or any other fan actions.8. A co-worker of hers (Ched Carpenter) said wearing the hat had NOTHING to do with her firing.The late Paul Eells who was tragically killed in a 2006 car accident was the “Voice of the Razorbacks” since 1978. He was an Iowa graduate, was “Voice of the Hawkeyes” and later “Voice of the Commodores” in Nashville. He was dearly loved and respected and it didn’t matter he grew up in Iowa or was not an Arkansas grad (many in our media are not). 99% of Arkansas fans would not have cared if Paul rooted for his alma mater Iowa as long as he didn’t do it while at work.For those thinking lawsuit, she has no legal standing in an at-will state. Radio reporters is not a protected class in employment law.I dare anyone to go on your Facebook wall open to public viewing and complain about your job and then draw attention to yourself prompting your employer to read it. Report back how long you last.